What other biblical passages support the principle found in 2 Samuel 21:4? Context and Principle in 2 Samuel 21:4 • The Gibeonites refuse “silver or gold” for Saul’s blood-guilt and insist that only the execution of the guilty line will satisfy justice (2 Samuel 21:4). • Principle: A life taken by murder cannot be ransomed with money; blood-shed requires blood-justice. Key Passages That Echo “No Ransom for Blood” • Numbers 35:31-33 — “You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer… Blood defiles the land.” • Genesis 9:5-6 — “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed.” • Exodus 21:12, 14 — “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies must surely be put to death… you shall take him even from My altar to die.” • Deuteronomy 19:11-13 — The avenger of blood must execute the murderer; “you must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood.” • Leviticus 24:17, 21 — “Whoever kills any man must be put to death… Whoever kills an animal shall make restitution, but whoever kills a man shall be put to death.” • Deuteronomy 21:1-9 — Even when a murderer is unknown, innocent blood still requires public atonement; life matters so much that a ritual with a heifer is prescribed to cleanse the land. Passages Highlighting Covenant Integrity Behind the Episode • Joshua 9:15-20 — Israel’s leaders swear to spare the Gibeonites; an oath made in God’s name cannot be broken. • Psalm 15:4 — God honors the one “who keeps his oath even when it hurts.” • Numbers 30:2; Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 — Vows made before the LORD must be fulfilled. Passages Showing Restitution Works Only for Lesser Offenses • Exodus 22:1-4 — Theft can be repaid “five cattle for an ox,” demonstrating that money solves property crimes, not murder. • Leviticus 6:1-7 — Fraud and deceit require restitution plus a guilt offering, again contrasting with murder, which allows no ransom. Why These Texts Matter Together • They form a consistent, Spirit-breathed witness: human life is sacred, murder pollutes the land, and only the shedding of the murderer’s blood (or a God-ordained substitute pointing to future redemption) can cleanse that guilt. • 2 Samuel 21 simply applies these earlier commands—honoring an oath and satisfying blood-guilt—to end Israel’s famine and restore covenant blessing. |
    |